Throughout this specification the use of the word “inventor” in singular form may be taken as reference to one (singular) inventor or more than one (plural) inventor of the present invention.
It is to be appreciated that any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the present invention. Further, the discussion throughout this specification comes about due to the realisation of the inventor and/or the identification of certain related art problems by the inventor. Moreover, any discussion of material such as documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention in terms of the inventor's knowledge and experience and, accordingly, any such discussion should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia, or elsewhere, on or before the priority date of the disclosure and claims herein.
There have been attempts in the past to provide universal components for window covering systems. One example is described in International Patent publication No. WO 03/080978 in the name of RollEase, Inc. entitled “Universal Brackets for Roller Shade”, in which an improved window treatment system is provided. The disclosed window covering system includes a head rail, a spring clutch disposed at one end of the head rail and an idler disposed at the other end of the head rail. A pair of universal brackets, being identical, for engagement with the head rail are used, one coupled to the spring clutch and the other coupled to the idler. Each bracket is suitable for fixedly mounting either the clutch or the idler at either end of the head rail by way of having slots in the body of the bracket for receiving the clutch and also having an opening disposed relative to the slots in the body of the bracket for receiving the idler. However, as is evident from the disclosure, the system of WO 03/080978 is applicable as an interchangeable bracket to the clutch and idler components of a window covering system, only.
When installing window blinds and coverings, there are a wide range of bracket types that may be used for the purposes of mounting the blinds in place, such as single brackets having multiple projections, double brackets having multiple projections and configurations, plus brackets used in different fascia systems, including double fascia systems.
Moreover, the concept of linking blinds is known and examples of link systems are disclosed in Australian patent No. 2009200489 in the name of RollEase, Inc. entitled “Multi-Section Window Dressing with Coupling Clutch” and in Australian patent No. AU-B 2005297336 in the name of Darmorgold Pty Ltd, entitled “Connector for a Blind Assembly”. In the marketplace, companies such as Acmeda have their own non-adjustable link systems that generally involve the fixing of a metal precision ball bearing into a steel or other bracket to support the end of the blinds to be linked. These bearings may be subject to misaligning the adjacent roller blinds being linked and generally require a complex new linking bracket system to be developed every time a new application is identified. RollEase, Inc. also have a simple 50 mm projection single linking bracket that works with their adjustable link unit, however the bracket also may be subject to misaligning and is not flexible for the future creation of new bracket systems, such as double and fascia brackets. In some cases, manufacturer's systems have required that two sets of brackets are mounted next to each other to create the flexibility of linked and independent control of multiple blinds.
Also, the company Vertilux Pty Ltd uses link brackets that incorporate C-shaped open ended design. However the insert for these brackets uses a precision metal bearing encapsulated into a plastic outer housing that is installed by pushing the assembly into the opening of the bracket and then turning by 90 degrees to lock the assembly into place. In this case, the locking clip is incorporated into the design of the outer housing by the use of an elongated tab that flexes away from the bracket when being fitted, then locks into the C-shaped opening at the end of the bracket after it is rotated by 90 degrees.
Another known system for linking shades and blinds is the RollEase™ link system developed and marketed by RollEase, Inc. which incorporates the 50 mm projection single linking bracket noted above. The above noted multi-section window dressing with coupling clutch disclosed in Australian patent No. 2009200489 forms part of the RollEase™ link system. When using the RollEase™ adjustable link unit, it has been noted that the providers of the RollEase™ system only manufactured and supplied one type of bracket to be used in conjunction with this unit, ie a 50 mm projection single bracket. This means that the RollEase™ adjustable link unit may not be used in conjunction with any other types of standard bracket installations. In general terms, it is considered by the inventor that proprietary systems for linked window coverings are restricted in their flexibility for use with standard or common window covering installation and support systems. Accordingly, in the inventor's view, there is a need for a means to allow proprietary linking systems for window coverings to be easily used in conjunction with a much wider range of support systems such as bracket installations.
Further, in a particular observation of the inventor, it is considered that it is not possible to integrate a combination of blinds on a single double bracket for supporting two roller type blinds where one set of blinds may be linked and the other set is able to be operated as an independent blind.
Furthermore, the existing bracket systems are not considered modular, which means that every time a new bracket system is required, there needs to be a significant investment in new engineering and manufacturing development to create the newly required link bracket systems. This creates resistance to invest in new bracket systems, severely limiting the applications where blinds could be linked using, for example, the RollEase™ adjustable link system.
As noted above, misalignment of blinds is a problem that is found in many related art systems. In contrast, self-alignment is a desirable and important feature and can provide several advantages. None of the systems in the market to date create a self-aligning capability. By way of example, the main disadvantage of using metal precision bearings found in many related art systems is that if the blinds or the brackets are slightly out of alignment, there can be large forces created that can cause failure of the fixing of the bearing into the bracket, causing the bearing to disengage from the bracket by overstressing the fixing method between the two components. Also, using this type of bearing creates a requirement for larger size due to the inherent size of this type of bearing unit. Also, using metal precision bearings is very inflexible in regard to the inner diameter size and the ability to match to certain shaft or mandrel sizes and the minimum dimensions of components that must pass through the bearing inner diameter.
It is considered that a more modular system is required, where there can be a simple bracket design that could be quickly developed and manufactured and which desirably used other modular components or inserts that may provide self-aligning bearing functions.